Hugely popular Christchurch hard-rock all-girl group with a very 90’s riotgrrrl sound and a line-up that changed quite a bit over time. Members have included: Reta Le Quesne, twins Joanne and Sharon Billesdon, Lisa Preston, Fleur Walden Ninakaye Taane-Tinorau and Carla Rotta .
They recorded 2 singles, then had an album and a music video held back by Festival Records in nefarious circumstances.
#nzmusic #snort
Celia Mancini’s ‘lounge band in the ’80s.’ A Christchurch-based group that played a variety of upmarket events with Mancini fronting a killer backing band. Unknown for many years, a recording of Bobby Hebb’s ‘Sonny’ on the excellent ‘The Celia Mancini Tapes’ posthumous release in 2018.
#nzmusic #celiamancini #theafterdinnermints
Presumably named after a song by notorious cult leading serial killer (and Beach Boys collaborator) Charles Manson. One of Duane Zarakov, Celia Mancini and Brother Love’s many psychedelic rock acts – this time a Christchurch-based group who were around during 1991 (after the demise of The Axel Grinders, but before Space Dust and King Loser) and recorded a single cassette EP.
#nzmusic #undergroundmusic #ceasetoexist #theaxelgrinders #kingloser #spacedust
The Axel Grinders were a hard-edged rock’n’roll group with touch of humour, formed by future King Loser members Celia Patel (aka Celia Mancini), Pat Faigan (Duane Zarakov) and Martin Henderson (Brother Love), with John Markie (John Segovia) and Phil Ascott. Their recordings were finally made freely available in 2014.
#nzmusic #theaxelgrinders #kingloser
Long-running stylistically variant group based around the duo of Don Campbell (aka Don Gone) and Bev Greene (aka Anastasia Strapon / Nova Technova). Prolific during 2 distinct phases – based in Dunedin in the late 1980’s – early 1990s then in the mid 1990s to early 2000’s in Christchurch.
#nzmusic #undergroundmusic #theestrapons
‘A sort of holiday’ was a one-off 7″ single on Fkying Nun records from the mysterious Rik Starrr – an alias for Edmund Cake, yet to find his fame in the much vaunted Bressa Creeting Cake.
#nzmusic #rikstarrr #flyingnunrecords #edmundcake #bressacreetingcake
Constant Pain were a sadly under-recorded group featuring brilliant underground noisy guitar legends Cameron Bain and Roddy Pain, along with a revolving drummers seat of some of New Zealand’s finest drummers. Walls of wailing feedback and rolling rhythm drive some immense tunes. Both guitarists passed away in the 2010’s.
#nzmusic #constantpain #undergroundmusic #crawlspacereocrds
Lo-fi Garage rock’n’roll duo from Dunedin, circa the early to mid 2000’s. Released an album on guitarist/vocalist Dianne Smith (aka ‘Lucy Lurex’) label and promised a 2nd before promptly disappearing in 2005.
#nzmusic #theinternationaltelepaths
The key group of New Zealand underground legend Peter Gutteridge (despite being a founding member of BOTH the Clean and the Chills). Snapper made driving, droning guitars-infused with synths post-punk throughout the 1980s and 1990s before Gutteridge disappeared from the public eye.
Live review of the late-great Peter Gutteridge at Dark Room on March 29th, 2012 and published by the Christchurch Press on April 5th.
The photos I took of Peter were picked up by International Press when he sadly passed away 2 years later.
Heavy free-noise-metal from Auckland 3, occasionally expanded to a 4 piece with the addition of Constant Pain’s Cameron Bain.
Between stints in King Loser, Snapper and a million other bands, Cameron Bain released a 7″ release on Stella Corkery and Alan Holt’s excellent Pink Air label.
One-half of the oft-referenced, seldom heard Constant Pain. Bain passed away in 2014.
Biography One of the earlier Christchurch acid-rock groups of Celia Patel (aka Celia Pavlova / Mancini) along with twins Sharon and Joanne Billesdon and Reta La Quesne. Forming after Celia and Rita’s former group The Axel Grinders, the Stepford 5… Read More »The Stepford 5
Biography Celia Mancini‘s post King Loser band, consisting of herself on vocals and guitar and various other contributors such as Clayton Noone, Cameron Bain (formerly of Constant Pain) and many others, as the band had trouble keeping line-ups. More heavy metal… Read More »Mothertrucker
Biography Born Celia Patel (and at one stage known as Celia Pavlova), Celia Mancini was a smart, creative, talented and volatile musician. A born front-woman and general icon within the music community, who was never afraid to speak her mind,… Read More »Celia Mancini